Chelsea goalkeeper Petr Cech, of Czech Republic is beaten by AS Roma defender Christian Panucci, not pictured, during their Champions League Group A match at Rome's Olympic Stadium yesterday. Roma won 3-1. - AP

LONDON (AP)

Chelsea slumped to a 3-1 loss at AS Roma in the Champions League yesterday, while Inter Milan and Liverpool needed late equalisers to avoid embarrassing defeats.

While Barcelona and Sporting Lisbon became the first teams to secure a place in the next round, Liverpool needed a penalty by Steven Gerrard in the fifth minute of injury time to draw 1-1 with visiting Atletico Madrid.

Chelsea's lead in Group A was whittled down to just one point by defeat to Roma, who led in the 34th through a goal by former Chelsea defender Christian Panucci.

Panucci side-footed a cross from Cincinho past goalkeeper Petr Cech and Mirko Vucinic made it 2-0 three minutes after half-time with a shot from the edge of the area through a crowd of players.

The Montenegro striker hit a third goal for Roma 10 minutes later before Chelsea captain John Terry, who missed what would have been the winning penalty kick in last season's final defeat to Manchester United, got a goal back with a close-range shot from a rebound.

Roma and Bordeaux, which won 2-1 at Romanian club FCR Cluj, each have six points to Chelsea's seven.

Atletico and Liverpool stayed tied atop Group D after Gerrard converted a penalty he was awarded when he fell to the ground while challenging Mariano Pernia for a header. The goal cost Atletico early progress to the next round.

Inter, who hired coach Jose Mourinho in the off season with the intention of winning the tournament, avoided a particularly humbling defeat when Julio Cruz scored in the 80th minute to salvage a 3-3 draw at Anorthosis Famagusta.

With Panathinaikos winning 3-0 at Werder Bremen, Inter still tops the qualifying group and should still qualify for the next round, but the result could raise further doubts about Mourinho's future, especially with the Nerazurri in the doldrums in the Italian league.

If Inter do go on to have a successful season, Mourinho may look back upon Cruz's 12-metre header from Mario Balotelli's free kick as one of the turning points.

Inter twice led in the first half in Cyprus but Cedric Bardon and Giorgos Panagi scored to equalize goals by Balotelli and Marco Materazzi.

Five minutes into the second half, Inter defender Nicolas Burdisso tried to head away Bardon's right-wing cross but only glanced it into the path of Nikos Frousos, who hit a low shot past goalkeeper Julio Cesar and into the net.

Mourinho, who before this match had watched his team play out three scoreless draws and a laboured 3-2 win over last-place Serie A side Reggina, responded by withdrawing Burdisso in a triple substitution.

But Inter needed goalkeeper Julio Cesar to make good saves from Vincent Laban and Andreas Constantinou before Cruz rescued his team.

Inter has eight points in Group B, three more than its opponent. With two games to play, Panathinaikos is a point further back after goals in Germany by Evangelos Mantzios, Giorgos Karagounis and Alexandros Tziolis reignited its slim hopes of advancing.